Toilet additives

There are lots of different opinions on other forums regarding alternatives to blue/green fluids to put in the toilet cassette. I've seen recommendations to use biological washing liquids, tablets and even dishwasher tablets. I'm going to try cheap bio liquid but what I haven't seen is any recommendations as to an alternative additive for the flushing tank instead of the proprietary pink stuff. Any suggestions?

I thought Laundry blue or plain washing soda might make a good substitute.

just curious, is this purely down to cost or for some other reason?

Paul,
I have no suggestion for an alternative to the pink stuff.
I use plain water in the flush tank with nothing added. I have a hand spray bottle filled with diluted pink liquid which is used as and when. This came about because I was getting black bits coming into the toilet bowl via the flush and this was blamed on the pink fliud.

squip

CruizingComet wrote:just curious, is this purely down to cost or for some other reason?

Yes the change to washing liquid is a cost-saving measure but we have never used anything in the flushing tank. Now the bowl gets easily stained and wondered if there was anything that helps coat the bowl so that flushing helps keep the bowl cleaner.

Had a sog system fitted, best money ever spent, no smells of any kind in the van even when in use.
Smells a bit when you empty it, although not so bad if you empty every day (as I do)
Pete

Was parked up next to a autocruise cherokee last week. It had a sog system fitted. Might not smell in the van but outside it stank. Is this normal?



Whisky.[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

No,
They should change the charcole filter every now and then.
Pete

[quote="whisky"] Might not smell in the van but outside it stank. Is this normal?



In my experience, yes it is.

Brisey.

hi
we have been trying bio washing fluid for the last few trips. we like the fact that we do not have the chemical smell and the bio is quite fragrent.I also found that solids and tissue was well broken down [too much information i know but important all the same]
in the flush we only use very dilute pink flush .at the moment we find bio washing fluid to be very good
yours june and dave

We have used Milton Sterilizer or Tesco's 'my baby's sterilising fluid' in our toilet flush tank for the past few years now. Along with Tesco's bio laundry liquid.

I started using the sterilizer after finding black bits in the water level tube after a couple of years using the pink products.

Ever since, our flush water has never had the same problem & of course it helps keep both tanks clean.

Another reason to change both fluids is the good price of them, compared with those blue, green, or pink products.

That sounds like a good idea........

never came across the black bits in the old van, but this new one seems to spit them out regularly when flushing.

Interesting to hear others talking of these black bits, we have always used the pink stuff in our loo and never experienced anything like this but will be looking out for it now especially as it seems to be such a common problem Are other members who experience this, frequent or just occasional users of their loos out interest?

Had them alot in our Symbol 2005 model and I/we used the van weekly. So it wasn't for the fact of infrequent use.

The new van Executive 2007 model, has never been given the chance to start off with black bits, as I have used the sterilizer from day 1.

We use our van (both this and the last) a couple of times a month, with the toilet being used er.... in accordance with this.

Dago wrote:We have used Milton Sterilizer or Tesco's 'my baby's sterilising fluid' in our toilet flush tank for the past few years now. Along with Tesco's bio laundry liquid.

I started using the sterilizer after finding black bits in the water level tube after a couple of years using the pink products.

Ever since, our flush water has never had the same problem & of course it helps keep both tanks clean.

Another reason to change both fluids is the good price of them, compared with those blue, green, or pink products.

What quantities of each do you use when filling flush tank?
What do you put in the waste tank and what quantities?

Thanks
Alan - new Motorhomer and Symbol owner.

As this topic has been revived I'll give an update on how we've been getting on with it.
We bought Sainsbury's basic value biological liquid (I think it's 99p for a litre) and put in the same quantity that we used to use of blue elsan or whatever brand we had. No noticable smells in the washroom but not pleasant at all when it came to emptying. We may well go back to blue/green stuff.
In the flush tank Carol suggested we add some fabric conditioner as she thought this might make the bowl 'slippier' and so staining might be less. This actually seems to work, quantity is a bit of guesswork, we just add a capful when I fill the tank.

Paulmold wrote:In the flush tank Carol suggested we add some fabric conditioner as she thought this might make the bowl 'slippier' and so staining might be less. This actually seems to work, quantity is a bit of guesswork, we just add a capful when I fill the tank.

What year is your Symphony Paul? ours is '95 and takes the flushing water from the cold water system, the handbook shows it this way so it isn't a mod.

Frank

boxerman wrote:

Paulmold wrote:In the flush tank Carol suggested we add some fabric conditioner as she thought this might make the bowl 'slippier' and so staining might be less. This actually seems to work, quantity is a bit of guesswork, we just add a capful when I fill the tank.

What year is your Symphony Paul? ours is '95 and takes the flushing water from the cold water system, the handbook shows it this way so it isn't a mod.

Frank

It's a 1997 and the flushing tank is part of the thetford loo, you fill it through a swing-out 'funnel' located above the cassette holding tank.

Paulmold wrote:It's a 1997 and the flushing tank is part of the thetford loo, you fill it through a swing-out 'funnel' located above the cassette holding tank.

I downloaded the manual pages from the Thetford site when I had a little problem (turned out to be the fuse) and there are different models for integrated and external flushing water storage, although they seem to use the same mouldings.
I wonder why they changed in the later ones? to give you more available water in the main tank, do you think?

Frank

We have been trialling BIO washing machine tablets which does the decomposition bit and doesnt smell when emptying the cassette but, not that brilliant on odours in the bathroom, but the offer that was on when we got them had a different smelling pack also so before we revert back to blue/green am going to give a try again. That said the ASOC rally at Chester in November site owners have stipulated Green Only!!!

alanlakes wrote:

Dago wrote:We have used Milton Sterilizer or Tesco's 'my baby's sterilising fluid' in our toilet flush tank for the past few years now. Along with Tesco's bio laundry liquid.

I started using the sterilizer after finding black bits in the water level tube after a couple of years using the pink products.

Ever since, our flush water has never had the same problem & of course it helps keep both tanks clean.

Another reason to change both fluids is the good price of them, compared with those blue, green, or pink products.

What quantities of each do you use when filling flush tank?
What do you put in the waste tank and what quantities?

Thanks
Alan - new Motorhomer and Symbol owner.

Alan,

We use our old thetford green & pink measuring bottles as they store in the base of the cassette cupboard.
The green bottles are filled with Tesco Bio Laundry liquid and I pour 2 marks in each time. ( at currently 1.20 per litre, it is hardly an expensive exercise).

For the Sterilizer, I put an equal amount in to the flush take, each time I fill up with 5 litre of water.
I never fill up with more than this when travelling as it prevents flooding the overflow.
We don't encounter any problems with odour smells, unless in hot weather conditions, but then we got that even when using the traditional blue or green products, and it's a reminder that the waste tank needs emptying, how ever full it is.

Thanks for all the info Dago,

Have printed it off and given it to the Boss/Shopper (that's all she will have to do with the loo )

Brian

Hi there,

For what it is worth we have used bio laundry liquid for last six weeks in the heat of S France and all OK.

Got the tip from a long-term user plus this site.

Can recommend on cost and also on reduced "chemical smell"!

Use it for tank and flushing. Figure that Hoover, Hotpoint etc would not allow rubbish into their washing machines so expect decent results re pump.

Best regards,

Dutto

My own preference is for crystals by a Dutch firm called KemDirect, but I only use half a sachet in the toilet tank rather than the sachet full as they say, I find this sufficient and I believe it is a biological compound. I tried blue bio but found that smells returned before the tank was full, I now use a small amount of blue bio in the top tank as Mrs M likes some colour in there and I have some left. Kemdirect is sold by the same firm that make grip track, I think you can find them on the internet under that name.